Today's prayers focus upon a part of John's Gospel, set to be read by Anglicans at Evening Prayer today.
I will bless the Lord at all times; praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Create in me a new heart, O Lord,
and put a new spirit within me.
God our Creator, re-create me,
and enable me to surrender myself to you
in silence and in love.
Surrendering ourselves to you
does not come easily to our human condition.
But you intervene in the deepest recesses of our being,
and your will for us is the radiance of hope.
Silent reflection on the day that is passing
Out of the darkness and void,
God is creating
Out of chaos
God is bringing order
Out of fragments we offer
God is creating wholeness
Into despair,
God breathes hope
Into anxiety
God breathes peace
Into deadness
God breathes life.
Make still whatever in me is not you:
whatever is not your presence,
all pure, all solitary, all peaceful…
Impose silence on my desires, my whims,
my dreams of escape,
the violence of my passions.
PSALM 91 – a prayer of hope under the protection of The Good Shepherd
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty,
shall say to the Lord,
‘You are my refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I put my trust.’
He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence.
He shall cover you with his pinions, and you shall find refuge under his wings;
his faithfulness shall be a shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the plague that stalks in the darkness, nor of the sickness that lays waste at midday.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
John 10: 22-28 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem.
It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. Those who were there gathered round him, saying,
‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’
Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,
but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.
My sheep listen to my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one will snatch them out of my hand.
CANTICLE - A SONG OF CHRIST THE SERVANT 1 Peter 2: 21-25
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips, when he was reviled, he did not revile in turn.
When he suffered, he did not threaten, but he trusted in God who judges justly.
Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By his wounds, you have been healed, for you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Lord says to you -
“When Jesus went ashore
he saw a great crowd,
and he had compassion on them,
because they were like
sheep without a shepherd.” Mark 4:34
PRAYING IN THE PANDEMIC with St. Augustine
Watch, Lord, with those
who wake, or watch, or weep, and give your angels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, give rest to the weary,
bless the dying, soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted, shield the joyous;
and all for your love's sake.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.